You are already offering devotion and prayer to Lord Krishna by your expression of love and devotion. Dance, chant, and sing the Divine name of the lord daily...I'm sure others will explain spiritual practices that are specific, there are some very knowledgeable devotees here.

I am new to this practice as well...but I go with my heart. I attend Kirtan regularly, chant the Maha Mantra daily, and sing, dance and offer love and devotion to Krishna. I offer him food, light candles, burn incense and simply adore the Divine Krishna light that resides in my heart.

My own experience suggests that if one wants to know of something, they are well served by going to the most authentic representation of it which is available. Go to the source material.
I do not personally know a single devotee of Krsna. I live in rural TN. I do have all 12 cantos of Srimad Bagavatam, The Mahabharata, and The Ramayana, as well as the Upanishads. I have read them all many times and continue. These are the stories of and words of that most Beautiful Thief of My Heart!!
Try going to the original texts, upon which the thing is founded.
And be of good cheer. .. Once that Beautiful Blue Thief has His eye on you. . . He'll never let you go!! You'll wake up one day and realize you're done for.!! He will sneak in and steal you heart and you won't even know when it happened!!
Hare Krsna!

NAMASTE


Edward you have offered your desire to serve the Divine and in that is service.
You having the desire to serve is more than those who serve the lord with no desire to so other than it is routine in there day to day life. In The Gita Krishna tells Arjuna (9.26)

Whosoever offers me a leaf ,a flower , a fruit, or water with devotion, I aceept accept and eat the offering of devotion by the pure hearted.


Anything you offer with a pure heart the divine accepts.There are many ways to serve the Lord be it a smile to a stranger to feeding the poor.




In Love and Light


Pritam

HDG Srila Prabhpada says In "krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead"..."To think of Krsna favorably is Krsna consciousness".

Thinking of Krsna, talking about Him, offering food to Krsna, anything and everything you do should be with conscious thoughts of Him. That is loving, devotional service.
Association with devotees, reading Prabhupada's books, attending Temple, finding a Spiritual Master are all good things.
Krsna is within you, as well as outside. You are all ready giving service by inquiring, but please continue to inquire and expand on your inquisition. Hare krsna!

Hare Krsna! Oshkosh isn't tooooo far from Kenosha. Perhaps Bhaktin Lisa and I can get a couple Chicago temple devotees together to do a Wisconsin get-together?

You are a very fortunate person and your future is very bright! In the Chaitanya Charitamrita it is described...bramanya bramite kono bhagyavan jiv, guru krsna prasade paya bhakti lata bhija. "It is a very fortunate soul who after wandering the length and breadth of the universe finally recieves the seed of devotion." Krsna consciousness and spirituality of the higher type is all about spiritual relationship or Rasa. Srila Rupa Goswami, describes in the Bhakti-rasamrita sindhu the progession a soul follows in its awakenment of its dormant love of Krsna. It begins with sukrti, pious merit. Somehow, somewhere you connected with an agent of Reality and recieved thier blessing. Perhaps you gave a donation somewhere to a devotee or recieved some prasadam and appreciated it. The result of sukriti or pious merit is shraddha or faith. yam evesya vrinuti tena labyas.. the upanishads say that the ability to recognize reality comes from Reality. Krsna has blessed you with faith. Now in order for that faith to grow substantially you need association with devotees. And association means service. A willingness to give your time and energy will demonstrate your genuine bhava or feeling of love towards Krsna. Krsna is bhakta-vatsalya...He loves his devotees. When He sees you sincerely helping those whom are actively engaged in His service He will make an arrangement for you to come closer. And that means He will send His devotees to engage you. Its not an intellectual exersice of reading books. Though we can take shelter of the scriptures in the absence of living devotees. Why? Because the scriptures are passive agents, but the living devotees will take our energy and offer it more actively to the Lord, and with thier recommendation we improve. Active service to a real agent in realtionship with Reality will awaken your heart. The devotees carry the treasure of love for Krsna in thier heart. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam...When you serve a higher agent then the wealth that is in thier heart becomes secretly transfered to your heart. Its a living conscious experience. Then will come the stage of anartha nivriti...automatically the unwanted habits in your life will drop away..then you will become fixed in your determination..Nishta...then a real and substantial taste to serve Krsna will awaken in your heart, this is called Ruchi. Real taste and attraction. Your faith will no longer be flikering, but a steady flame of determination.

Visayan vini vartante
niraharasya dehinah
rasa varjam raso py asya
param drstva nivartata...

" The embodied soul may be restricted from sense gratification, though the taste for sense objects remains. But ceasing such engagements due to experiencing a higher taste, one is fixed in consciousness. Bhagavad-gita 2:54

Ruchi or spiritual taste will lead to the higher states of Divine Love, but we must always remmember that from begining to end our progess is determined by Higher Grace. It is Srimati Radharani alone (Gods swarup shakti-internal potency) who is qualified to exchange service directly with Krsna. We can't handle the intensity of His infinite appetite. She manifest in this world as Sri Guru and the devotees to accept our service. Under Her shelter the Jiva soul is enriched beyond its own capacity. Connect with Higher agents in a mood of service and your sucess is gauranteed.

Please visit my Guru Maharajas web site: www.scsmath.com He is a Vaisnava of the very highest type, and His beloved disciple and successor Srila Govinda Maharaj is engaging aspiring devotees like yourself all over the world in the service of Reality the Beautiful, Sri Krsna Chaitanya. Krsne matir astu.
My dandavat pranam and well wishes to you..